Meet Our Team
Current group members
Denis Kutnjak
Research group leader
Deputy head of Laboratory for detection of viruses, viroids and phytoplasmas
Senior Scientific Associate
I am a virologist at the National Institute of Biology (NIB), Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, where I lead the Microbiology group and work across organismal and environmental virology. My scientific path began with studies in biology in Ljubljana and research training in Innsbruck, where I first explored evolutionary and ecological questions through plant phylogenetics. During my PhD, I shifted toward high‑throughput sequencing and the discovery and diversity of plant viruses, a direction that later expanded into broader virome ecology.
Today, my research focuses on understanding viral diversity in plants, invertebrates, and freshwater environments using metagenomics and bioinformatics. I am particularly interested in virus ecology and how sequencing‑based approaches can improve virus detection and environmental surveillance. Beyond fundamental research, I have helped implement modern diagnostics for plant viruses and contributed to wastewater‑based monitoring of SARS‑CoV‑2. I enjoy mentoring young researchers, fostering collaborative and inclusive science, and connecting molecular virology with ecology to better understand viruses as integral components of ecosystems.
Nataša Mehle
Deputy research group leader
Head of Laboratory for detection of viruses, viroids and phytoplasmas
Research Councillor
I am a plant virologist and diagnostics specialist employed at the National Institute of Biology (NIB), Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, since 2001. I currently serve as Research Councillor and head the Laboratory for the detection of viruses, viroids and phytoplasmas. My work focuses on the development, validation and application of molecular diagnostics for plant pathogens, as well as test verification, interlaboratory comparisons and training for plant health laboratories. Our laboratory is part of the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) consortium and the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) consortium for viruses, viroids and phytoplasmas. I am an active member of the EPPO (European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization) Diagnostic Panel on Virology and Phytoplasmology, supporting the development of international standards for plant pathogen diagnostics. My research covers the biology, epidemiology and risk assessment of emerging plant viruses, viroids and phytoplasmas. For viruses and viroids, I also study their survival and transmission in water, substrates and compost. I lead and participate in national and international projects, translating research findings into practical diagnostic solutions for plant health surveillance and outbreak response.
Ion Gutiérrez Aguirre
Deputy research group leader
Research Councillor
I obtained my Ph. D. “cum laude” in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in University of the Basque Country, in the field of pore-forming proteins, followed by a Basque Government awarded postdoctoral tenure at the Chair of Biochemistry, Department of Biology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Since October 2005 I have been employed as full time researcher, at the Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology of the National Institute of Biology (NIB), Ljubljana, Slovenia, where I am currently vice leader of the Microbiology unit and of the main program running in the department as well as member of the institute’s scientific board. My research focuses on studying viruses in different environmental samples, e.g., different types of environmental waters. I have a large expertise on concentration, detection/quantification and characterization of viruses in such samples. Currently we are assessing the suitability of the water-based epidemiology approach that was impulsed during the COVID-19 pandemics to other mammalian (avian flu, swine fever) and also plant viruses within the One Health concept. I am also involved in the application of novel methods for inactivation of waterborne viruses.
Polona Kogovšek
Research Councillor
I am a microbiologist with PhD in Biotechnology. I did my studies on the University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical faculty. Since 2004 I have been employed at the Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology of the National Institute of Biology (NIB), Ljubljana, Slovenia, currently as Research Councillor. From 2021 I am partially employed as Chief Technology Officer at NibaLabs Ltd., a NIBs’ spin out biotechnological company. My primary expertise is development of molecular biology techniques and their application to various research questions from agronomy, medicine, environment to veterinary research fields. Currently I am coordinating a project, financed by European Food Safety Authority, on epidemiology of plant pathogenic fungus in Tunisian citrus orchards. I am interested also in understanding the antiviral potential of compounds. I focus on exploring natural and chemical substances and evaluating their antiviral activity against different viruses. Aim is to find novel substances that can be used as food supplement or precursor for development of drug or can be applied on surfaces to prevent virus transmission.
Nina Prezelj
Research Councillor
I am Biochemist with PhD in Biosciences. During my studies I was researching plant microbe interactions like potato interaction with potato virus Y and grapevine interaction with Flavescence dorée phytoplasma on transcriptomic and metabolomic levels. Later research is focused on studying viruses in the environment, mainly water. I was coordinating SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring performed at NIB until feb. 2023. I am involved in research of avian flu virus in environmental waters and swine fever virus detection in wastewater. Currently I am head of quality management system in our department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology that is accredited by Slovenian Accreditation with accreditation number LP-028 in the field of testing (SIST EN ISO/IEC 17025) for detection of GMOs and microorganisms – plant pathogens«.
Ana Vučurović
Scientific Associate
My research focuses on detecting and characterizing plant viruses, integrating high‑throughput sequencing with conventional molecular diagnostics to study pathogen diversity and epidemiology. I also work on the diagnostics of phytoplasmas and viroids. I earned my Ph.D. in Biotechnical Sciences (Phytopathology) from the University of Belgrade–Faculty of Agriculture in 2013, where my dissertation examined the diversity and molecular characterization of cucurbit viruses in Serbia. From 2009 to 2021 I worked at the Institute of Phytomedicine, and since 2020 I have been with the National Institute of Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology. My interests span plant virology and mycology in vegetables, field crops, and ornamentals, with emphasis on quarantine pathogens; viruses of tomato, tobacco, and cucurbits; epidemiology of Tobamovirus and Orthotospovirus (including TSWV and IYSV); seed transmission of viruses and fungi; and development of diagnostic tools. I also study pathogen complexes such as Phytophthora on raspberry, and Fusarium on sorghum. Currently I work in the diagnostic laboratory and the VIROKOMP project on virus and viroid risks in compost‑based fertilizers.
Anja Pecman
Research Associate
I obtained my Ph.D. in 2022 from the National Institute of Biology (NIB) in Ljubljana, Slovenia, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Maja Ravnikar and Dr. Ion Gutiérrez Aguirre. My doctoral research focused on the characterization of plant viromes using diverse viral nucleic acid enrichment strategies and high-throughput sequencing (HTS) platforms. This work was carried out within the postgraduate programme in Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies at the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School. I am currently a member of Dr. Denis Kutnjak’s research group, where I perform high-throughput sequencing (HTS) data analysis of viromes across a wide range of sample types. I have also contributed to the implementation and validation of novel HTS-based diagnostic approaches, including the first globally accredited Nanopore sequencing protocol for the detection of quarantine plant viruses. Following its accreditation, I have been actively involved in knowledge transfer through training workshops on Nanopore sequencing. My goal is to further integrate high-throughput sequencing–based diagnostics with environmental and ecological virology to better understand virome diversity, dynamics, and their relevance for virus monitoring across different environments.
Katarina Bačnik
Scientific Associate
My research focuses on exploring viral diversity in environmental and host-associated samples using high-throughput sequencing. I obtained my Ph.D. in 2022 from the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School in Ljubljana, Slovenia, within the Sensor Technologies program, under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Maja Ravnikar and Dr. Denis Kutnjak. During my doctoral research, I investigated the viromes of water samples, invertebrate hosts, and biopharmaceutical cell lines, combining high-throughput sequencing with bioinformatic analyses. Following my Ph.D., I continued my work on virus discovery through large-scale data mining of previously published sequencing datasets. I am currently working on my postdoc project studying the viromes of invasive crayfish (signal carayfish) across their invasion ranges and comparing them with the viromes of co-occurring native crayfish species, with the aim of understanding how viral communities may change during biological invasions.
Irena Bajde
Research Professional
I am a biotechnologist with a degree from the University of Ljubljana and am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Ecotechnology at the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School in Ljubljana alongside my professional work. I specialize in the diagnostics of viruses, viroids, and phytoplasmas, working in a Diagnostic Laboratory focused on their detection. I am currently deeply involved in the VIROKOMP project, and the part of the research investigating virus survival in growing substrates also forms a core component of my Master’s thesis. In addition, I actively contribute to other research initiatives within my group, bringing over 10 years of hands-on laboratory experience in molecular and diagnostic techniques.
Jakob Brodarič
Senior Professional Associate
Since 2021, I have been working as a professional associate at the Department of Microbiology, following the completion of my Master’s degree in Microbiology at the University of Ljubljana. My work is centered on applied diagnostics and research in plant pathology. I am actively involved in diagnostic laboratory work, focusing on the detection of plant viruses, viroids, and phytoplasmas, and in research projects addressing their survival and transmission under different environmental conditions. I currently participate in the VIROKOMP project, which investigates virus survival in growing substrates. Additionally, I am responsible for maintaining a phytoplasma collection on living plants and support other projects within the research group through the application of molecular techniques.
Maja Ferle
Senior Professional Associate
I have been working as a laboratory technician in a microbiology research group since 2021. I completed my Master’s degree in Ecology and Biodiversity the same year at the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana. I have participated in different projects involving microbial source tracking, plant and animal viruses, fungi and bacteria. My work focuses on the sampling and processing of environmental samples (including concentration and nucleic acid extraction) and on the detection of viruses, bacteria, and fungi using advanced molecular biology techniques.
Živa Lengar
Senior Professional Associate
I completed my Master’s degree in Biotechnology at the Biotechnical Faculty in Ljubljana in 2020. I joined the microbiology group as a laboratory technician in the same year. Initially, I was involved in setting up and implementing national SARS-CoV-2 monitoring. Currently, my work mainly involves the sampling and processing of environmental samples, as well as the detection of viruses, bacteria, and fungi using advanced molecular methods and electron microscopy.
Veronika Bukvič
Professional Associate I
I have worked as a professional associate in a microbiology group since 2023 after previously working at NIB as a student. I completed my BSc in Biotechnology at the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana and am currently completing an MSc in Agronomy. I am primarily involved in plant virus diagnostics, using high-throughput sequencing (HTS) with nanopore technology. As a part of my work in the reception office, my responsibilities include diagnostic sample intake and registration, as well as administrative tasks related to laboratory work. I also contribute to ongoing research projects by supporting laboratory work using a range of molecular biology techniques.
Zala Kogej Zwitter
PhD Student
I joined the research group in 2018 and have participated in several projects involving a wide range of microorganisms, including plant viruses, fungi, and phytoplasmas. I am currently a final-year PhD student, having started my doctoral studies in 2020. My research focuses on phytoplasmas, in particular I study the epidemiological and genomic aspects of 16SrV phytoplasma group in grapevine and hazelnut. My work places strong emphasis on bioinformatics, genome assembly, and comparative genomic analysis of high-throughput sequencing data. I obtained my MSc in Molecular and Functional Biology at the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana.
Nina Kobe
PhD Student
I have been a PhD student in the research group since 2021, following earlier work as a student researcher, during which I also completed my MSc in Biochemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana.
My research focuses on discovering novel antiviral agents using combined in silico and in vitro approaches. I work with mammalian viruses, including coronaviruses, noroviruses, and adenoviruses, which I propagate in mammalian cell culture systems. I screen and characterise antiviral compounds of both natural and synthetic origin, aiming to identify previously uncharacterised molecules with potential for therapeutic development against viral infections.
Lana Vogrinec
PhD Student
I have obtained a bachelor’s and master’s in Biochemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana. joined the Microbiology group at NIB in 2022 as a PhD student. My research mainly revolves around the ecology of plant viruses, and I am particularly interested in understanding how they move and interact with different parts of ecosystems. In my PhD project, I am studying the viromes of wastewater, river water, wild plants and crops through high-throughput sequencing, which enables the detection of complete viral communities in each sample. Through this, I hope to understand how plant and other viruses persist in the environment, circulate between different parts of the ecosystem and influence ecological interactions and dynamics.
Neža Praček
PhD Student
I obtained my Master’s degree in Molecular and Functional Biology at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. I then joined the National Institute of Biology (NIB) as a PhD candidate, working in the field of environmental virology. My research focuses on methods for detecting avian influenza viruses in environmental waters, including water concentration techniques, virus detection by qPCR, optimization of methods to reduce inhibition, and sequencing.
Marko Marohnić
PhD Student
I graduated in Molecular Biology from the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, in 2024. Currently I am a PhD student at the National Institute of Biology (NIB) in Slovenia, where my work mainly focuses on the discovery and detection of viruses in compost samples. At this moment most of my research involves adapting and optimizing protocols for both targeted and non-targeted virus detection, with the aim of improving the characterization of viral communities in complex environmental matrices. In addition, my research also delves into the characterization of novel plant viruses, such as the newly discovered Gorica tombusvirus 1.
Andrea Belamarić
PhD Student
I obtained my Master’s degree in Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. My thesis research focused on the activation of microglia in the mouse brain after a stereotaxic injection of lentiviral vectors. In October 2025, I joined the MIKRO group at the National Institute of Biology as a PhD student under the mentorship of Dr. Katarina Bačnik and Dr. Nataša Mehle. The main focus of my PhD research is exploring the viral diversity of invertebrates and the survival of these viruses outside their hosts. Currently, my work is primarily focused on studying the survival of plant viruses in insect frass and investigating their ability to infect healthy plants fertilized with frass.